"Adore U" () is the debut song by South Korean boy group Seventeen. It was released as the lead single from their debut extended play (EP) 17 Carat on May 29, 2015.
Background and release On May 26, 2015, Seventeen held a showcase at the MBC Dream Centre in Ilsan, South Korea, where they performed two songs, "Adore U" and "Shining Diamond", from their forthcoming EP 17 Carat. The showcase was the culmination of four years of training and the pre-debut reality series Seventeen Project: Debut Big Plan by MBC. The EP was officially distributed three days later, with "Adore U" serving as its lead single.
In 2016, Seventeen released a re-worked version of "Adore U" for their first studio album Love & Letter, sung by the group's Vocal Team. In 2024, "Adore U" and an instrumental version of the song were included in 17 is Right Here, a compilation album of the group's releases.
Composition "Adore U" was written by Seventeen members Woozi, S.Coups, and Vernon, alongside Bumzu, one of the group's main producers. It was composed and arranged by Woozi, Bumzu, and Yeom Dong-gun. It has been described as a blend of funky pop-rock and '90s hip-hop. It was written in the key of G major with a tempo of 102 beats per minute.
Reception Jeff Benjamin reviewed the song for Billboard, commending the group for the distribution of lines and camera time among the "largest pop act, member-wise, in Korea". Listed by Dazed at seventh place in their top 20 songs of 2015, the song was described as "a playful, pure candy floss track". In a list of their top ten Seventeen summer songs, Kpop Herald described "Adore U" as one of the best K-pop debuts of all time.
Covers In 2020, Weeekly released a Christmas-themed cover of the song. Boy group Epex covered the song in 2022 during their debut concert. In 2023, the song was performed by contestants of the South Korean competition show Peak Time.
Credits and personnel Credits adapted from the 17 Carat lyric book.
Location
Recorded at Pledis Studio and 4420AZIT Mixed at Velvet Studio
Credits and personnel
Bumzu – lyrics, composition, arrangement, chorus, vocal direction, recording Woozi – lyrics, composition, arrangement S.Coups – lyrics Vernon – lyrics Yeom Dong-gun – composition, arrangement In Yeon-jun – electric guitar Park Ki-tae – guitar Lee Dong-hyeok – bass Kim Dae-yeom – recording Shin Yong-sik – mixing
Charts + Weekly chart performance for "Adore U" Chart (2016) Peakposition South Korea Download (Gaon) 191 US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 13
Release history + Release history for "Adore U" Region Date Format Version Label Various May 29, 2015 Original April 25, 2016 Vocal Team version April 29, 2024 Instrumental
References